From the Outside
by Misha
Summary: It's not easy to be the outside looking in on what you'll never have or what you'll never have again. ClarkLana, ClarkChloe, LanaWhitney
1. On the Outside, Looking In

On the Outside, Looking In   
By Misha

Disclaimed- I totally do not own any of the characters of Smallville (though I wish I owned Lex!), they belong to a lot of people with more money than me. I am not making any money off using them in this story, so please don't sue me.

Author's Notes- There's something about Smallville which inspires me to write angst. This one is a short, angsty Chloe piece. I don't know why, but I can't even imagine Clark and Chloe together. I mean, Clark and Lex are my couple of choice, but I can honestly see Clark with Lana, I can't really see him with Chloe. I just can't. It doesn't work in my mind. But I wanted to do something with the idea, so, I wrote this. It's just a short piece on Chloe's feelings for Clark and is set sometime in the future. Well, that's it, enjoy!

Spoiler- Up to Jitters.

* * *

"So what's so special about Clark Kent?"

Chloe eyes snapped open at the question. She turned in the direction it came from and saw on of Lana's friends talking to her beside her locker.

Chloe casually leaned back against her own locker, eager to hear the answer.

"What do you mean?" Lana asked softly.

The other girl, Chloe thought her name was Hannah, rolled her eyes. "I mean, he has to be pretty special for you to dump Whitney for him."

Chloe sighed at the reminder.

It had been talk of the school for the last month and a half.

It had started at Lex Luthor's Christmas party. Somehow or another Clark and Lana managed to end up together under the mistletoe, though Chloe was positive that the charming host of the evening had had something to do with it.

Still, whether or not Lex was responsible, it happened. Clark and Lana kissed.

It was just a quick, simple kiss, yet it was obvious to anyone that it was more than that. Clark and Lana hadn't been able to keep their eyes off each other for the rest of the evening, not that that was anything new in Clark's case, or even in Lana's really.

Though, she hadn't wanted to admit it to herself, Chloe had known for a while that Clark's feelings were no longer one-sided. She had caught Lana stealing glances at Clark whenever she thought no one was looking.

Still, Chloe had been able to pretend that it was nothing, after all Lana was still with Whitney.

And then came the party.

Something changed that evening. Chloe didn't know all the details, didn't **want** to know all the details, but she did know that had Lana broken up with Whitney the next day and that by New Year's Eve, when Clark had a party, a small one this time, it was obvious that Clark and Lana were an item and they had been like that ever since.

The worst part was, Clark was so happy. He practically glowed.

It wasn't fair.

Chloe was glad that he was happy, but she wanted to be the one to make him happy. But she wasn't, instead it was Lana.

Chloe was so caught up in her thoughts, that she almost missed Lana's answer.

"Clark is special." She said softly, everything about her screaming how happy she was. Her dark eyes were shining, her expression was soft and happy, and a gentle smile played at her lips. "He makes me feel loved and protected. He makes me feel like I'm the only girl in the world for him."

The answer struck at Chloe. She knew that Lana had once told Clark that she stayed with Whitney because he made her safe. But now, it appeared that Lana realized that there were important things than that.

Lana's next words seemed to confirm it.

"When I was with Whitney, I felt safe." She said softly. "Too safe. Our relationship was like a protective cage that kept me from harm, but that also kept me from the world. With Clark, it's different. Maybe he's not always there when I want him to be, but even when he's not, I know he cares about me and I can feel his strength. Clark makes me feel safe to be my own person, to see what the world offers me without fear. He doesn't protect me from life, he helps me live it."

Chloe wanted to cry at Lana's words. Cry because Lana **was** the only girl in the world for Clark. No one else even existed to him, it was just Lana. It had always been Lana. And now Lana realized it and appreciated Clark for the rare gift that he was. Now they were together and Chloe was alone, just like she had always been.

Chloe missed the rest of whatever Hannah and Lana said, she was so lost in thought, but she watched as Hannah walked away and Clark joined Lana at her locker.

Chloe was unable to tear her eyes away from them. She watched Clark wrap his strong arms around Lana's waist, saw the other girl smile and turn around so that the two were facing, and she watched as their lips met.

It broke her heart to watch, to see Clark and Lana so much in love, totally oblivious to her presence.

For the first time, Chloe truly understood what it had been like for Clark to watch Lana and Whitney together all those times.

But at least in the end, he had gotten the girl. Chloe knew that she would never get the guy that she wanted. That Clark Kent would never be hers.

After a long moment, she was finally able to tear her gaze away from the happy couple and closed her locker quickly.

She gathered her books and hurried towards the Torch office, her heart shattered into a million pieces.

As soon as she was alone, she began to cry.

At that moment, she hated everyone.

She hated Lex for arranging the stupid Christmas party and for doing everything he could to get Clark and Lana together.

She hated Clark for never noticing her, for always wanting Lana, even when it seemed like they would never get together.

She hated Lana for being so perfect and for always having Clark's heart, even when she didn't realize it.

But, mostly, Chloe hated herself for even daring to dream that someday Clark would get over Lana and fall for her. For believing that just once things might go right for her.

She should have realized that it never happened like that. She was the best friend, the girl who faded into the background while the Prince and Princess lived out the fairy tale, the girl who never got the happily ever after.

She was always going to be the one on the outside, looking in on what she could never have.

* * *


	2. Out in the Cold

Out In the Cold   
By Misha

Disclaimed- I totally do not own any of the characters of Smallville (though I wish I owned Lex!), they belong to a lot of people with more money than me. I am not making any money off using them in this story, so please don't sue me.

Author's Notes- This is a companion piece to "On the Outside, Looking In". This one focuses on Whitney. I don't particularly like Whitney, but I decided to try and give him depth. Again, this one's pretty angsty... Sorry. One other thing, should I write a prequel to these fics? Should I write a long fic focusing on how Clark and Lana got together? I mean, they're not my couple of choice, but... It might be interesting to write a fluffy piece about them. What do you think? Well, that's it for now, enjoy!

Rating- PG

Spoilers- None really.

* * *

Whitney watched as Lana walked across the cafeteria towards his table.

Except she wasn't walking towards him.

After over a year together, it was over.

Whitney felt his heart break all over again as he watched Lana slide into a seat beside someone else at a table not that far from his. As he watched someone else slip a strong arm around Lana's waist and greet her with a kiss on the cheek.

Just another reminder that Lana was someone else's girlfriend. Clark Kent's girlfriend.

Whitney had seen it coming long before it happened. He had sensed it when Lana began to pull away from and move closer to Clark.

But he had still held on to the hope that maybe it wouldn't happen, maybe he wouldn't lose her.

He had held on to that hope until Lex Luthor's Christmas party.

Whitney hadn't wanted to go to the party in the first place. He knew that Luthor had no use for him, that he was Clark's friend.

But Lana wanted to go. They had argued about it for a few days, before she had finally told him that if she had to go without him, she would. Lex was her friend and she had no intention of missing his party.

Whitney had given in then and had escorted her to the party.

Afterwards he wished he hadn't, but deep down he knew that what had happened was inevitable, that it would have happened some other time if it hadn't happened that night.

Every detail is carved into his memory like stone.

Clark's embarrassed, yet hopeful look, the faint pink tinge in Lana's cheeks when the duo realized that they had been caught under the mistletoe. The dread in his stomach.

He knew that somehow or another, Luthor was responsible, that he had arranged the whole thing. Whitney could still remember the smug triumph in the older man's eyes.

But not as well as he remembered the kiss. It was a simple, short, sweet kiss. It was over almost before it began, yet...

It changed everything.

What had been bubbling below the surface, was now over-flowing.

The rest of the night, Lana's eyes had been on Clark and his had been on her. It was like they were in a world of their own.

A world that didn't include Whitney.

The next day, Lana broke up with him.

Whitney had taken it as graciously as possible. He knew that making a scene wasn't going to change anything, so he had smiled sadly, kissed her cheek and wished her luck.

It had been hard, but he knew that he had to do it. He loved her, but he knew that she no longer loved him. Or at least not the way she should. So, he let her go.

He didn't see her again until school started back up.

By then he had heard the news, that she and Clark were together.

But that hadn't prepared him for seeing them together, for seeing the look in her eyes whenever she gazed at Clark. A look that had never been there when she looked at _him_.

He saw it as he watched her now. As she laughed at something Clark said and gazed up at him.

Yet, as hard as it was, as much as it hurt, there was one consolation. Whitney realized that if he had to lose her, he was glad that he had lost her to Clark. He was glad that he had lost her to someone who would love and cherish her.

It was obvious to anyone that Clark did, that he adored her.

Whitney watched them and was amazed by how their every action portrayed how in love they were.

The way Lana's hand was rested on Clark's arm, the way she looked at him, the smile on his face, the way he played with her hair... It all gave them way.

Suddenly, Whitney couldn't take it anymore.

He turned his attention way from them and something else caught his eye.

That girl, Clark's friend, the one from the Torch... Chloe, that was her name. She was looking at Clark and Lana and her expression hit home to Whitney.

After all, he was pretty his was the same.

He studied her closely, paying attention to her for the first time ever.

He saw his own emotions mirrored in his face and knew then that she knew what he was feeling.

He saw it all so clearly. She was in love with Clark, just like he was in love with Lana. But, just like him, she knew it was hopeless.

Their eyes met then, for a brief second, and he saw recognition in them. She understood.

Whitney looked at her for a moment longer, then returned his gaze to Clark and Lana and felt his heart rip once more.

He turned away then and stood up. He got up and left the cafeteria.

When he reached his locker, he saw Chloe approach him.

"It hurts, doesn't it?" She asked softly.

Whitney just nodded.

"I know how it feels." Chloe said. "But maybe it gets better. Who knows?"

She smiled at him once more, looked him straight in the eye, and then walked away.

Whitney watched her, realizing that in one moment they had connected. That as different as they were, they shared something.

As strange as it was, it was also nice. It was nice to know that he wasn't alone. That he wasn't the only one hurting.

He closed his eyes.

Yet, even the connection he shared with Chloe, didn't make the pain go away. Nor did it change the fact that he was no longer Lana Lang's boyfriend, no longer the one she turned to when she was upset.

Or the fact that he was now out in the cold, wishing he could have the warmth back again.

The End


End file.
